Just One of those Days
by Two Phantoms
Summary: Amanda is having just one of those days. Set sometime during First Season


Just One of Those Days

By Amy Firestine

**Disclaimer:** The characters from Scarecrow and Mrs. King are the property of Warner Brothers and Shoot the Moon Productions. I have borrowed the characters without the consent or knowledge of Warner Brothers or Shoot the Moon. This story, however, is copyrighted to the mentioned author. This story is for entertainment purposes ONLY. If you would like to add it to an archive, please just let us know.

**Summary:** Amanda is having just one of those days, you know the kind where you feel like you'd have been better off staying in bed.

**Timeframe: **Takes place some time during First Season.

**Notes:** My muse returned to me as I was watching an episode of Scarecrow & Mrs. King. I don't know if anyone else has taken the time to write a story based on the scene shown in the opening with Lee driving the cab, and if they have I assure you any resemblance to your story is merely coincidence. Since the scene never appears in any episode, I decided to do my best to describe how they both came to be in that spot at the same time. So when this story just came to me and I had to get it down on 'paper' so to speak. I want to extend a very special thank you to Jan for betaing this story for me. This story wouldn't be the same without your input.

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Amanda King sat at Lee Stetson's desk in the Agency Bullpen staring at the sheets of paper in front of her. 'Chicken scratch. I gave up my afternoon to try and decipher chicken scratch.' She thought to herself with frustration. Putting her head in her hands, she sighed. 'Oh well, I better get this done if I have any hopes of getting home in time for dinner.'

Looking up from her task, she saw one of the guards open the glass door on the left. Amanda let a frustrated sigh escape her lips as she watched Francine enter the Bullpen. 'Great, just what I need.' She said a silent prayer that Francine wouldn't look in her direction, hoping beyond hope that the blonde would be oblivious to her presence. However, her prayers went unanswered as Francine glanced around the Bullpen. Amanda could see the obvious irritation play across Francine's face as the blonde's eyes met Amanda's. Amanda nodded a hello, trying her best to be friendly. It wasn't that she disliked Francine; she just wasn't in the mood to deal with any of Francine's barbed comments today. Amanda silently cursed herself for the gesture, because it apparently gave Francine a reason to come over to where she sat.

"No housework to tend to today, Amanda?" Amanda was sure the smirk Francine now wore was a direct result to the roll of Amanda's eyes.

"Lee asked me to come in and type up his latest reports." Amanda replied. Why did she feel the need to explain her presence? She had a right to be here. She wasn't an agent, but Mr. Melrose had told her he hoped they could call on her from time to time. Well this was one of those times.

The smile that appeared on Francine's lips reminded Amanda of someone she would have gone to high school with. One of the popular girls who made it their job to make anyone who wasn't part of their inner circle feel as if they were beneath them. "Careful, Amanda. You might just get the reputation of being Lee's personal secretary." Turning before Amanda could respond, the blonde headed in the direction of Billy Melrose's office.

Amanda watched Francine walk away, her mouth slightly ajar. Even though Francine's retreat belayed any response she could have given, Amanda realized that she wouldn't really have had an opposing argument to give. Returning her attention to the papers in front of her, she realized that Francine wasn't entirely wrong. Situations like today were becoming a bit too common lately. She was beginning to think that the only reason Lee bothered to contact her anymore was when he needed her to do his paperwork. How many times had he told her that he stank when it came to typing up his case reports? Whether true or not, she knew she was just being taken advantage of. Yet, on some small level she enjoyed it. Well not the paperwork part, or the being taken advantage of, but the fact that Lee Stetson took the time to call on her, even for this type of mundane task.

Besides, she had to admit, there was something about Lee. Something that made her feel the need to come to his rescue all the time. Perhaps it was the little lost boy she saw whenever she looked into his eyes. He needed a friend. A true friend, whether he knew it or not. Sure there were risks to assisting him on cases, and most of the time he didn't really want her there, but it was exciting. Before that fateful day at the train station, she felt like her life had become almost too routine and predictable. She realized that the gift of excitement the world of espionage and intrigue had dropped into her lap was exactly what she had needed.

Deciding to get back to the task at hand, she sorted through the papers again, trying to put them in order so she could hand in Lee's work on time and get home without getting any more grief from her mother. "Oh, shoot!" she mumbled aloud. She had forgotten to call the washer repairman. Picking up the phone, she dialed her house. She needed her mother to give her the number she'd written down and promptly forgotten to bring in with her when she rushed out the door earlier.

"Hello, Mother," Amanda said into the phone as she heard her mother's familiar voice on the other end. "Yes, Mother, I plan on being home tonight for dinner … Yes, Mother, I know Dean is coming over … No, Mother I haven't forgotten." Rubbing her fingers over her forehead, she closed her eyes and sighed. She really didn't need this right now. "Look, Mother, can you please read me the number I wrote down for the washing machine repairman. I left it by the phone, and I would like to get that call in so we won't be without a washer for more than a few days … Thank you, Mother," as she waited for her mother to locate the number, she grabbed a pen and blank sheet of paper. As her mother recited the numbers, she began to jot them down. "Thank you, Mother. I'll see you around 4:30ish." Before her mother could comment on the 'ish' part of her statement, she quickly said goodbye and hung up the phone.

Looking up, she saw Francine starting to head out of Mr. Melrose's office. One clever remark from Francine was enough for one day. Quickly picking up the phone, she dialed the number her mother had just given her. If she were on the phone, perhaps Francine would leave her alone. "Yes, my name is Amanda King, I need to schedule a repair for my washing machine." As Francine passed her desk, she was thankful that her clever ploy had worked. Francine had looked as if she was going to say something until she realized Amanda was on the phone. So instead, she just fluffed her hair and headed in the direction of the Bullpen doors.

"Yes, that's right, I live on Maplewood Drive. It was in the middle of a wash cycle and just stopped … Yes, I did try that … Yes, if you could send someone out to look at it, the sooner the better, would be wonderful … Yes tomorrow will work great … Between 9am and Noon. Thank you." Hanging up the phone, she sighed again. At least that was taken care of.

Amanda had just finished hanging up the phone, when the sound of her name made her jump. Looking up she saw Francine standing on the other side of Lee's desk.

"Francine," Amanda's voice barely hid her disappointment, "I thought you'd left." Amanda wanted nothing more than to let her frustration show, but she wasn't going to give Francine the satisfaction of seeing her defeated. She thought she had cleverly avoided having to deal with Francine again, however the blonde must have been waiting to pounce the minute she got off the phone.

"Amanda, I just came out to tell you…" Before Francine could continue, Amanda cut her off.

"Francine, please, I'm not trying to be rude, but I really don't have time for idle chit-chat." She was sure her tone was a bit rude, but frankly she didn't care anymore. "Mr. Melrose is counting on me to finish these reports for Lee and get them in on time. My day has already gotten off to a bad start. First my dishwasher wouldn't work…"

"Amanda," the blonde's impatient tone cut into Amanda's diatribe. "I'm only here because Billy told me to let you know that he needs those reports by 4 o'clock on the dot. He's got a meeting at a quarter past four, and needs to bring those reports with him. He hopes to be able to glance at them before he goes into the meeting."

"Oh," Amanda replied. "I'm sorry, Francine."

Francine put up her hand. "Just make sure you get Lee's reports done on time." As she uttered the last word, she turned and headed towards the Bullpen doors.

Putting her head in her hands once more, Amanda shook her head. Yep, she definitely should have stayed in bed this morning. First the dishwasher hadn't wanted to start. All she needed to do was wash the dinner dishes from last night and the breakfast dishes. She had poured the liquid soap into the correct slot, shut the door and hit start. When nothing happened, she tried the start button again. Silence. Leaving the dishes in with the soap to harden was not part of her plan. She had gotten down, opened the all too familiar panel, and jiggled the blue wire. It was always the blue wire. She put the panel back on, said a silent prayer and hit the start button again. The dishwasher had whirred to life. Thank goodness for that. Then she had remembered that Phillip and Jaime had yelled something to her as they had run out of the house about their Junior Trailblazer meeting that afternoon and that they'd need their uniforms. After placing the clothes into the washer, she had headed back into the kitchen to finish cleaning up. She had finished wiping the counter down when she heard a strange clunking noise come from the laundry room. She went back into the laundry room just as the washer came to a complete stop. She had tried a few things, but when nothing she did seemed to work, she decided it was time to call in a repairman. Not having any other choice, she took the clothes out of the washer and began to wash them by hand. She had just finished ringing the last pair of pants out when the phone had rung.

Hearing Lee's voice on the other end, her spirits had lifted. She remembered thinking that perhaps her day wasn't going to be a total wash after all. She had quickly hung the clothes out on the line, and left a note for her mother, who had just gotten in the shower. She had been thankful about that, she was in too much of a rush to deal with a third degree from her on why she was once again dropping everything and rushing out the door. If she'd known the urgent task was the papers in front of her now, she'd have taken her time getting to the Agency. Sifting through the papers one more time, she hoped that everything was correct. Lee really had the worst note-taking skills. If nothing else, he needed her on more cases so that when she typed his reports, she'd know that the reports would be accurate.

An hour later, after typing the last word of the final report, she removed the current paper from the typewriter and placed it on top of the others. Lee was going to owe her big time for this. What was she thinking? He'd never make it up to her. In fact, she doubted he'd even thank her; and if he did, it would be an afterthought. "Amanda," he'd pleaded with her when he met her in the foyer, "I have to meet an informant and Billy is pestering me to get my reports in on time." Her initial excitement quickly disappeared the minute she heard Lee utter the words "reports" and "on time." Reluctantly she had agreed, and as Mrs. Marston handed her a visitor's badge, she silently thanked Lee for being there to meet her. She really hadn't been in the mood to deal with Mrs. Marston's impatience when she didn't know the secret word of the day. She'd have to remember to mention that to Lee next time he needed her right away at the Agency. He needed to start letting her know the password so she wouldn't have to waste time explaining things to the woman who sat at the reception desk. She was beginning to think Mrs. Marston had less patience with her than Lee.

Picking up the stack of papers, she walked over to Mr. Melrose's office. As she began to knock on his door, she couldn't help but wonder what kind of case Lee was working on now. She hadn't had a chance to ask him earlier. He had rushed her into the elevator and into the Bullpen so fast; you'd think his life depended on these reports. Once he had sat her down at his desk, he had pulled out a folder, said something about them needing to be handed in to Billy by 4 o'clock, and was out the door before she even had time to say 'bye' or 'good luck.' Knocking, she waited for Mr. Melrose to nod that she could enter.

Opening the door, she strode to Mr. Melrose's desk and handed him the reports. "Thank you, Mrs. King. I'm sorry Lee stuck you with his reports, but I really needed him to meet with his contact. The information he's gathering could be vital to a case we're trying to wrap up."

Amanda nodded her understanding. "No problem, Sir. It was my pleasure." She smiled. "You know I'm always eager to help out when I can."

Mr. Melrose smiled back. "I'm glad we can count on you. Thank you for giving up your day to assist. Since you've finished these, please feel free to head home."

"Thank you, Sir." Amanda turned and headed back out of the office. She crossed the Bullpen, and sat back down to straighten up Lee's desk. Picking up the phone, she dialed her mother again. She wanted to let her know she was on her way home. "Yes, Mother, I'm finished … What? How did that happen? … Okay, yes, I'll stop at the store on the way home … Bye Mother." Great, just what she needed, she thought to herself as she hung up the phone. Grabbing her purse and the umbrella she had remembered to grab from home, she headed out of the Bullpen and towards the elevators.

As she waited for the doors to open she made a mental note of the items she now had to pick up from the market. Glancing at her watch, she realized that it was just now 4 o'clock. She'd never make it through traffic, to the store and home again in time to make dinner. The grocery store by her house was going to be too packed and the lines too long. Besides, she didn't feel like running into anyone she knew. They'd want to chat with her, and she hated to be rude, but she just didn't have the time for small talk today.

As she exited the elevator, she took off her visitor's badge and handed it to Mrs. Marston. Saying a quick goodbye, she headed out of the office. Noticing it had started to rain, she opened her umbrella, and headed towards the street. She only hoped her mother had remembered to take Phillip and Jaime's Junior Trailblazer uniforms off the line before it had started to rain. When she did get home, she was going to have a nice long talk with her sons about the proper uses for food. What had they been thinking? Steaks, frozen, thawed, or cooked, were not meant to be fed to neighborhood dogs, no matter how badly you wanted them out of your yard. Now she was forced to pick up two new steaks, get home and cook them before Dean arrived. As she walked to the sidewalk and turned in the direction of her car, she remembered that there was a nice little market just two blocks away. Changing direction, she headed across the street and in the general direction of the store. As she walked she began to wonder what she was going to do about her relationship with Dean.

Dean was a nice enough man. He treated her well, and he seemed to get along with her boys okay. But in the past few months, she'd realized that something was missing. There was no 'spark.' The flames had died out and now she felt like she was just stringing him along. Not only that, but if she truly cared about Dean, she wouldn't just break off dates or outings at the last minute, would she? Every date she'd broken with him in the past few months had all been a direct result of her new association with Lee. She always came up with a very convincing white lie to explain the change in plans. In retrospect, however, she realized that even if the real reasons had to do with national security and she couldn't tell Dean the truth, she'd stopped feeling guilty about the lies. Yet, every time she told any type of mistruth to her mother, it made her feel awful. That realization alone was a good indication that she needed to break things off with Dean, her heart was clearly no longer in the relationship. "I think Mother will be more disappointed than me," she remarked aloud to herself as she entered the market.

Twenty minutes later, Amanda exited carrying two paper bags full of groceries. As she left the warmth of the store, she was accosted by a sudden chill and dampness. Taking in her current surroundings, she realized that the skies must have opened and let out the massive amount of water they'd been threatening to release all day. Feeling little droplets of water upon her face, she opened her umbrella in order to protect her newly purchased groceries from the drizzle that now fell. As she reached the block where her car was, she looked both ways and then crossed the street. 'Maybe, tonight after dinner, I'll have a good long talk with Dean,' she mused to herself. Lost in thought she never heard the car approaching till she was almost in the middle of the street. Losing her footing, her legs spread apart and she fell to the ground on her knees, as the grocery bags fell out of her arms.

Looking over as she heard the distinct sound of laughter coming from the driver, she noticed the car, was actually a yellow D.C. cab. As she took in the face of the driver, she could only roll her eyes and laugh. Well if this wasn't the icing on the cake. There, sitting in the driver seat, sporting a gray cap and blue coat, was Lee.

"Amanda, are you all right?" Lee asked, as she heard him put the car in park.

"Yes, I'm fine. Thank you for not running me over," she replied with just a hint of sarcasm in her voice.

Lee just flashed her his famous Stetson smile, and opened the car door. He walked over and offered her a hand. She accepted, and he helped her to her feet. She turned and surveyed the bags. It appeared nothing had fallen out, which was good. "Would you mind holding my umbrella for a minute, Lee?" she asked. He nodded and she passed it to him. Bending down, she picked up her grocery bags.

"Here, let me have one of those." Lee reached out to take one of her bags. "I'm truly sorry that I startled you. I saw you crossing the street and decided to surprise you."

"Oh, you surprised me all right. I won't even begin to ask what you're doing driving a cab. Probably just part of some cover, right?" She replied as she gladly handed him one.

Lee just nodded. "Where are you parked?"

"I found a spot just over there. I figured it would put me closer to the entrance of the Agency." She pointed in the direction of her car. "The lot wasn't as convenient and I could hear the urgency in your voice when you called me earlier."

Lee held the umbrella so that they both could fit under it, and began walking towards the station wagon. He smiled as Amanda fell into step alongside him. As they walked, he glanced in the bag he was holding and saw two nice size steaks. "Those are some nice looking steaks. Having company?"

"Not that it's any of your business, but yes. Dean's coming over." Amanda mentally prepared herself for the comment that she was sure was to come out of Lee's mouth.

"You're still seeing him? I would have thought you'd have dumped him by now."

Amanda couldn't understand why her dating Dean bothered Lee so much, but she didn't have time to get into an argument about it now. They were at her car and she really needed to get home. She took out her keys and unlocked the door. Reaching in, she unlocked the back passenger door, opened it and placed the grocery bag she was carrying on to the seat. "Lee, you don't hear me commenting to you about Barbie, Bambi or what ever bimbo you happen to be dating at the moment do you?" She asked as she turned to take back the brown bag he had so graciously taken from her moments before.

"Well, no. I guess not." Lee replied as he relinquished the bag to Amanda. "But, Dan just doesn't seem like the right guy for you. You could do so much better."

Amanda sighed. "Dean is very nice, Lee." She said emphasizing Dean's name. "Thank you for walking me to my car, but I'm already running late and I need to get home." She closed the car door and opened the driver's door.

Glancing at his watch, Lee nodded. "Yeah, I need to get the cab back anyway."

Settling into her seat, she reached for the door handle. "I guess I'll see you around, then."

"Yeah, see you around, Amanda." Lee helped her close the door and then headed back to the cab he had left in the middle of the road. Thankfully the streets seemed to be deserted, otherwise there would have been some very irate drivers honking at the Yellow cab sitting in their path.

Amanda watched Lee's retreating form in her side view mirror. 'Not even a thank you. Instead he tries to run me over with his cab. If that's the thanks I get for being his 'secretary' then he can just not bother to ask me next time.' She put the key into the ignition, turned it and waited for the hum of the motor. Nothing. She tried again, only this time she just got a couple of clicks. She waited then tried again. Still nothing but a 'click, click, click.' "Great! Just Great! This is all I need."

Hitting the hood release, she opened her car door, got out and walked to the front of her car. Opening the hood, she tried to determine if she could figure out what was wrong with the car. Not being a mechanic, she had no clue. Closing the hood, she decided she'd have to go back to the Agency and call for a tow truck. Just then she saw a glint of yellow pull up beside her.

Glancing in the direction of the cab, she saw Lee lean over the front seat and roll down the passenger window. "Need some help?"

Amanda just shrugged. "My car has decided not to start. Which is exactly what I don't need right now."

"Come on, get in. I'll drive you home."

Amanda started to protest. "Lee, I can't just leave my car here."

"Amanda, let me drive you home." Lee pleaded before opening his driver's door. Walking around the cab, he met her on the other side. He could see the hesitancy etched on her face. "Look, if you let me drive you home, I'll call a tow truck when I get back to the Agency. Okay?" He gently placed his hand on her shoulder. "Look, it's the least I can do. You did help me out with my reports, and I realized I never even thanked you."

Amanda looked into those hazel eyes and smiled. She hadn't known Lee that long, but no matter how hard she tried, she could never say 'no' to those eyes. "Well, okay. Especially since you do owe me" She opened the driver's door again, grabbed her purse off the front seat, took the keys from the ignition and closed the door. Then she opened the back passenger door and took out the two bags she had just placed on the seat. It wasn't till she turned to hand the bags to Lee did she notice the smile Lee was giving her. It was Lee's famous Stetson smile, the one where his dimples showed. Amanda smiled back. If he only knew the effect that smile had on her. When she noticed Lee's smile fade, and a new questioning look replace it, she realized she'd gotten lost in thought. Embarrassed and uncomfortable by his intent gaze, she quickly passed the bags to Lee, and watched as he put them in the back of the cab.

Locking her doors, she turned to enter the front seat of the cab through the door Lee now held open for her. Putting her seat belt on she watched Lee walk back around the front of the cab. As he got in and started the cab, she asked, "Are you sure you don't mind taking care of my car for me?"

Lee shook his head as he put the car in drive. "Nah, it'll be no problem. I'll have it towed to the Agency garage. Besides, I realize that you did me a huge favor today. I know those notes were a mess."

Amanda laughed. "A mess. Now that's an understatement. Does the Agency offer any kind of handwriting courses? Because if they do, you should really sign up for one or ten of them."

"Ha, ha. My handwriting isn't _that _bad," Lee protested.

"Oh yes it is, Lee. It took me all day just to decipher half of what you'd written and make any sense of your notes. I just hope Mr. Melrose is able to understand what I gave him. I did my best to put the pieces together. I sure do hope they make sense."

"Ah, no one really reads those anyway. They just give us field agents that type of busy work in lieu of a reality check."

Amanda shook her head. "I know for a fact, Lee, that they do read those reports. I've heard Mr. Melrose question you a number of times on stuff you've handed in. Besides, Francine said that Mr. Melrose was counting on your reports to use in his meeting this afternoon."

Deciding to change the subject because work was definitely not something he wanted to talk about, Lee went back to the conversation from earlier, "So are you having a quiet dinner with Don, or is the family joining you?"

Amanda turned and glared at her companion. "Mother's taking the boys out for Pizza and a movie after their trailblazer meeting. Besides, what do you care what Don, I mean Dean and I are doing?" She replied as she saw the corners of Lee's mouth turn up in a smirk. "You must have more important things to think about." Now it was her turn to change the subject. "Did your meet go well? And exactly what type of informant did you have to meet in a cab?"

"Just one of my family, and the cab was a perfect cover. I must say it worked out beneficially for you. Your mother shouldn't give you the third degree about arriving home in a cab rather than some strange man's car."

"Yeah, you're right about that. Mother's going to have enough to complain about on how much money we've already spent on getting the station wagon repaired in the last few months. I don't even want to think about what its going to cost if I have to replace the battery." Amanda put her head in her hands, and sighed. Raising her head as a new thought dawned on her. "I just realized, I have to figure out what to do for transportation now. I'll have to look into getting a rental or something." Sighing again, she closed her eyes and laid her head against the seat.

Lee glanced at his passenger from the corner of his eye. He suddenly felt himself growing concerned for the woman who sat next to him. Amanda was his friend, and he never liked to see her upset. Removing his right hand from the steering wheel, he lightly touched her arm. "Hey, it'll be all right. The Agency mechanics are pretty familiar with your car by now."

Lee's gentle touch sent a slight shiver through her. Hoping Lee hadn't felt it, she looked over at him and smiled. "Yeah, but I just needed this like a hole in the head. My day got off to a bad start, and never really got any better."

"Well, it can only get better from here, right?" Lee gave her arm a little squeeze before placing his hand back on the wheel.

Amanda shrugged. "I can only hope." She turned her head to watch the outside pass by as they drove through the D.C. streets toward Arlington. She thought about the dinner she was going to have with Dean tonight and suddenly didn't feel like facing him. She glanced over at Lee briefly, and then turned her attention back out the window. She knew there was no hope of her ever having a relationship beyond friendship with Lee. However, Lee had stirred something in her, something that made her long for something more than what she had with Dean. Her earlier thoughts about ending things with Dean tonight came back into her mind. She wasn't sure she had the stomach to break up with Dean tonight. Not after the way things had gone all day. But then, she didn't feel like having a romantic evening with him either. Maybe she'd just go home and try and catch him at the office. She could come up with yet another excuse and try and postpone, putting off the inevitable for another night.

Lee sneezed and pulled her out of her reverie. "God Bless You," she said instinctively.

"Thanks," Lee quickly glanced at her and then turned his attention back to the road. "What's on your mind, Amanda? You seemed a million miles away."

"Just lost in thought," she replied, "Don't mind me."

Lee's face betrayed his curiosity as he raised an eyebrow. "Amanda King, lost in thought? Now that is a dangerous notion. I think I will mind you. I've never known you to be the silent type, Amanda. Anything I can help with?"

Amanda turned to look at the famous Scarecrow. His reputation sure made for a wealth of knowledge when it came to breaking up with someone. Maybe she should ask him for advice on the best way to let Dean down. Then again, she wasn't sure she wanted to hear Lee's reaction to the news that she was even contemplating breaking up with 'Dan, Don…Dean.' 'He's likely to think it was because of him.' Shaking her head, "Thanks, Lee, really. I'm just running through the list of things I have to do tonight when, and if, I ever get home," she replied as she glanced out the front window at the line of bumper-to-bumper cars in front of them. D.C. traffic was the worst.

Lee shrugged his shoulders. "Sorry, Amanda. I'd have gone a different way had I known Route 66 was going to be such a mess. I figured it'd be the fastest route."

"It's okay, Lee. Really. I appreciate the ride, and the company. I kind of needed an escape from this day."

"You keep talking about your day. Was typing for me really that bad? I promise not to ask you again."

Amanda caught the hint of disappointment in Lee's voice. "Oh, Lee. Believe it or not, it was a much needed break from the sudden attention my appliances were demanding of me." She glanced at Lee and saw him raise his eyebrow again. "Lets just say that I wasn't looking forward to seeing what appliance was going to break down next. But seriously, Lee, I enjoy helping you out. Even if you don't always enjoy having me around." She smiled a little, waiting to see what would be his response. She knew she could be a bit of a nuisance, a pest even, but she was going to persist in staying in Lee's life. He needed a constant. She knew that from the first minute she'd met him. He was so lost and confused, even if he was running for his life. When he had come back, looking for the package, he was so business-like. No one should be that wrapped up in his job. He was too stiff and just…well…unfriendly. She'd made a decision to secretly make him her project. So far, it seemed to be working. Whether he admitted it or not, he did need her, and, hopefully, he considered her a friend.

Lee saw the myriad of changes in Amanda's face as she drifted off in thought again. Clearing his throat, he attempted to answer her last comment. "Amanda," he started and waited to make sure he had her attention. When he saw her look in his direction, he continued, "I, uh, well…" Boy, this was hard. He never felt the need to clarify anything to anyone, but for some reason he found himself needing to make sure Amanda was happy. She was his friend after all. Lee realized how profound that was. He didn't have many female friends. The more he thought about it, Francine was probably the only other woman he considered a friend. "Well, its not that I don't enjoy having you around. It's just that sometimes you have a knack for being where you shouldn't and you never do what I tell you."

"That's because you never tell me to do anything that makes sense. If it made sense for me to sit on my hands, in the car and do nothing, then I would. But why do that when I can be of more use helping you than watching you. Besides, if I did listen to you, you would probably be dead by now." Amanda crossed her arms and defended her actions.

"Ah-man-dah," Lee retorted. "I did just fine before you came into my life…"

Amanda cut him off. "Oh good, we're here." She had a feeling he'd go off on some rant and pass right by her house. Besides she didn't really want to get into this discussion any more. She had other things to think about at the moment. As they had turned onto her street, she had seen Dean's car parked in the driveway and knew that she wasn't going to be able to back out of dinner with him. She'd just have to see how dinner went and go from there. She had a feeling, though, that tonight would be the last time she'd be seeing Dean. Especially since she knew she'd be getting the third degree from both Dean and her mother on her tardiness and the whereabouts of her car.

As the cab came to a stop in front of her house, she turned towards Lee. "Thank you again for the ride. You're right about one thing, arriving in a cab, will definitely curb some of the questions Mother would surely have had for me had you driven me home in the Porsche. I'd never have heard the end of that." She started to open the car door, but stopped when she heard Lee clear his throat and then felt his hand on her arm. Turning, she made eye contact with her savior for the day and asked, "Lee?"

"Amanda, don't forget your groceries." He stated as he let go of her arm and pointed towards the back seat.

"Oh, yeah." A little disappointedly she replied and turned her attention to the grocery bags. "That would have been disastrous. Thanks again, Lee." Getting out, she closed the door then opened the back door. Taking out her packages, she called to Lee in the front, "Let me know what the Agency garage says about my car." He nodded in response, and she took out her packages and secured the back door.

Backing away from the cab, she moved to stand on the sidewalk, and waved as Lee pulled away. She had almost wished that Lee had asked her to forget about Dean and join him for dinner instead. "Like that would ever happen." She said aloud to herself and let out a disappointed sigh. Turning, she headed towards her front door. She couldn't think about Lee anymore. It was time to get back to reality and deal with her current relationship.

As she approached the stoop, Amanda adjusted the packages in her arms and took a deep breath. Turning the handle, and opening the door, she was about to announce her presence when her mother's voice came floating from the den, "Amanda, where's the station wagon?"

The End 


End file.
